Time and Attendance
Meeting start and finish: 1:00 PM – 2:40 PM
Members Present (alphabetical order): Don Bailey (City of McCall), David Carey (McCall chamber), Dick Carter (City of Cascade), Scotty Davenport (Cascade Chamber), Ken Minshall (City of Donnelly), Ray Moore (unincorporated Valley County).
Non-members present (all or part of the time): Elt Hasbrouck, Todd Hatfield, Cynda Herrick, Dwight Jividen, Heather Thiry (representing the Central Idaho Mountain Bike Association), Bill Wiley.
Facilitator (no voting rights): Willem Braak, UI Extension, Valley County
Decisions and notable points from the 10/24 meeting
(1) Agenda
No agenda changes
(2) Projects
County Recreation Sign Plan (Dwight Jividen, Cynda Herrick)
Documentation:
Discussion:
The County Recreation Sign Plan covers only the first phase of a larger (earlier submitted) plan that included branding elements for the county. This proposed first phase targets signage for state highway 55 and regional roads that have an obvious need and undisputed execution. Cynda Herrick expressed strong preference to approve the larger plan that includes the use of a Valley-County decal to signify tourist attractions as well as funding for brochures and kiosks. The council certainly supported the principle ideas of the larger plan, but some brainstorming quickly showed the difficulty in finding consensus on the design of a regional decal.
Decisions:
The council subsequently decided as follows:
- Recommend the county to fund the County Recreation Sign Plan (covering the first phase of the larger plan)
- The council asked Dwight to more prominently include a “typical” price for sign and sign installation in the proposal – to show what the $10,000 budget can do.
- The council will submit its support for the project to the county through:
- A formal email to the commissioners, with attachment of these minutes
- Personal attendance by Scotty Davenport, who will express the support on behalf of the council
- An email of support from the mayors of Cascade and McCall
- The council encourages the project team (Dwight and Cynda) to continue exploring a supported (recreation attraction) decal design with cities and chambers (or the Payette Scenic Byway Council), but views this as a parallel path that should not become a bottleneck in funding or executing the Sign Plan.
At the end of the meeting, Heather Thiry (representing the Central Idaho Mountain Bike Association) reiterated the importance of clear and functional signage for mountain bikers – visitors and residents alike. The council encouraged Heather to email the project team any suggestions and input.
Project Vetting
The council agreed to screen/categorize projects that are submitted to the council according to their implied method of development:
- business recruitment,
- business retention & expansion,
- infrastructure,
- community capacity or
- sector development
By doing so the council will, over time, get a better feel for the diversity of projects and methods. For example: the two projects that the council has heard so far (the Wintersport Survey project and the Recreation Signage project) were both targeting the recreation sector – the signage project through infrastructure, and the survey project primarily through business expansion (but indirectly also through business recruitment and community capacity). Over time this categorization may help the council to identify if it is promoting the necessary diversity of economic methods and sectors.
The council also briefly discussed an example project rating that may help screen for three important outcomes in economic development (local jobs, a more competitive community, a stronger/deeper economic structure). Link
(3) Council member round table
Council leadership
With the council slated to take on chairing and administrative services that is currently supported through the extension office, the council is very aware of the time burden that this may place on individual council members. The three separate pathways identified were:
- continue to find volunteer time and support among the council members
- create or borrow a part-time administrative position to at least cover administrative commitments
- tap into the Department of Commerce funding for professional support
The three pathways could also be a transition from 1 to 3 where the council can decide at each step if a next step is necessary or when it would be necessary. The council asked to distribute the information on the department of commerce funding for information. A transition of chairmanship was targeted for January 2013.
Members at large
The council approved the text to invite community members to express interest in one of the two at-large memberships. The invitation will be published through email, the StarNews and Take-a-look.
Charter
The council amended the council charter to read:
- To encourage Valley County communities, businesses and organizations to act more cohesively towards an improved local economy;
- To solicit or assist projects that substantially strengthen the local economy (through business stimulation; community & infrastructure development; sector development)
- To inspire and solicit creative solutions for issues at hand.
- To attract businesses and economic opportunities to the region.
- To assist in the creation and maintenance of a climate that fosters economic growth and viability.
Regional branding
Although the council continued to see regional branding as an important mechanism in economic development, it recognizes that there is simply not enough support among the local organizations and chambers to make such a project a success.
As a consequence:
- The council will hold off on support or initiation of a regional branding project until such time that there is sufficient support;
- As an intermediate step to a better projection of the region and its numerous interconnected amenities, the council will promote the use of a byline to any existing regional brand, logo or community identification that reads “in scenic Valley County, Idaho”, preferably with a standardized font.
(3) Public input
Bill Wiley and Elt Hasbrouck expressed their appreciation for the fact that the council represents a fair and respectful conversation and exchange of ideas at the regional level.
Todd Hatfield reminded the council to avoid a narrow focus on methods and recreation sector, and to also keep indirect measures in mind. Todd specifically mentioned the reduction or elimination of personal property taxation for businesses as an example of such measure.
Heather Thiry (representing the Central Idaho Mountain Bike Association) reiterated the significance that the signage project could have for recreationists (also see projects).
(4) Meeting adjourned at 2:45 PM
Next meeting: November 28, 1:00 PM in McCall.